Bottom door-guide for freight-cars.



J. M. HOPKINS.

BOTTOM DOOR GUIDE FOR FREIGHT CARS.

APPucArm FILED FEB. 23. 1915.

1,146,073. Patented July 13, 1915.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. HOPKINS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO CAMEL COMPANY, ACORPORATION OF MAINE.

:eoTToM noon-GUIDE FOR FREIGHT-CARS.

Specification of letters Patent.

Patented July 13,1915.

Application filed February 23, 1915. Serial No. 10,028.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES M. HOPKINS, acitizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Bottom Door-Guides for Freight-Cars, of which the following isaspecification.

My invention relates in general to freight cars, and more particularlyto an improved bottom door guide for freight car doors.

Considerable force is required, and often much trouble experienced, inopening and closing the sliding side doors of freight cars. This fact isdue to the weight of the doors; to the warping or distorting of thedoors which impedes their free sliding on their guides; and to thenecessity of the doors tightly engaging the frames around the dooropenings in order to render the cars weather and dust proof.

The primary object of my invention is to v reduce the power required toopen and close the sliding side doors of freight cars, and to avoid muchof the trouble'often incident thereto, by providing an improved bottomdoor guide which will reduce the frictional resistance to the movementof the doors and will at the SvIIIlB time efficiently guide the doors intheir movement from open to tightly closed positions, and vice versa.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved bottom doorguide for freight cars which will not only support the doors againstlateral-movement away from the car sides but will, when the door sags,vertically support it with a minimum of re-' sistance to its opening andclosing movements.

A still further ob ect of my invention is to provide an improved bottomguide for freight car do0rs-which will be simple in construction,durable in use, efficient in operation, and convenient in applicationtothe cars- My invention will be more fully described hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings in which the same is illustratedas embodied in a convenient and practical form and in-which:

Figure l is an enlarged vertical central section through the center ofFig. 2; Fig. 2 is an elevational view looking from the right in Fig. 1;Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line ll: of Figs. and2; and Fig. l is asomewhat diagrammatic plan view showing the relation of the flange onthe bottom of the car door to the series of guides secured to the car.

Similar reference characters are used to designate similar parts in theseveral figures of the drawings.

Reference character 13 designates a sliding door for controlling a dooropening in the side of a freight car.

C designates the side sill of the car, and D a portion of the car floorat the bottom of the door opening.

The construction of the freight car does not in itself form part of myinvention, and hence need not be more fully described and illustrated inorder that my invention may be completely disclosed.

It will be understood that my invention is not limited in its use to acar of any particular construction, but may be used for guiding thebottom of the sliding door of a freight car of any construction. v

My improved guide comprises a vertical base plate H adapted to besecured to the car side below the plane of the door opening, by anysuitable fastening means, such for instance as bolts 2' passing throughlugs h at opposite sides of the base plate H.

Projecting outwardly from the top of the base plate H is a liorizontalportion K having projecting from the outer edge thereof a verticaltrunnion L. Supported upon the trunnion L is a roller Z having adepression in its upper end within which is inclosed a washer L fixed tothe reduced u-p per end of the trunnion for retaining the roller inposition upon the trunnion. The

roller L engages the outer surface of the flange G depending below thebottom of the door, such flange being preferably a part of a Z-bar Fsecured to the bottom of the door B by any suitable means, such forinstance as bolts I r Extending above the horizontal portion K of theguide are inwardly converging curved flanges K and K located on oppositesides of the roller L, such flanges'serv-' ing to guide the flange Ginto engagement with the roller L.

My improved guide may also be provided with a horizontal roller Mprojecting up wardly through an opening in the horizontal member Kimmediately below the flange The roller M is rotatably supported upon anaxle N, the inner end of which is ging of the door, which frequentlyoccurs in supported by a circular prothe usage of frei lit cars, the ofthe} jectm from the base plate e inner flange engages door guides, theend 0. the axle N is provided with ahead mentIof-tht? doonwill befacilitated by 4 5 11. seated in a recess formed 'in the innerhorizontal rollers which then vertically slip; 70 surface of the baseplate H. The outer port the bottom of the door. Whilesucll: end of theaxle N is supported in a circulafhorizontal rollers "are.preferably-prof bearing P. n indicates a head formed on yht my inventionmay also jbepracti' the outer end of the axle N'to overlie. the embodiedwithout them, as indicated in 1 outer surface of the bearing P r 4'; inwhich the horizontal rollers are 1101175 The base plate H, horizontalportion K, provided on the guides. trunnion L, and bearings O and P, areall From the fore ing description-it will be preferably formed ina'single casting which? observed that I ive invented an improved mayhave the requisite *tre'ng'th .bottoni guide for the doors of freightcars}- it by means of reinforhing webs 7p 76' which reduces the frictionincident to the 8'? and is. I f movement of the rel'a.t.ivel. tq'the.Any desired number of m improved guides and hence renders theexertion of1 guides may be secured to the si e of thecar powernecessary in. theopening and closing-sq to engage the flange G on the door 111 ofthedoors. go'sures the proper guiding of the of] Itg-igfartherefidenttliat hyth, woof ,85

the door during its movementsinto open myimproved-guide the openingandcloslligiand closed position. In Fig. II have shown of doorswhichhave sagged in is r one of my improved brackets H' locatedadfacilitated: 133 the of "such. jacent the front of the door 0 lung andanrest andaresupported j other H located adjacent t 6 rear of therollers. p door opening. Another 'de H 'is located WhilejI-havedescribed in more below the center of the cor o m Win16 detailthe'specific embodiment of my. a third H4 is located at one si e of edoortionv h r in illustrated, 'yet it opening to guide and support thebottom ofstood'thatl' do not wish to be a, the door when a is m openpcsiti'on.["l'he m, but contemplate "changesin the)? flange G dependingbelow the bottom of the p o ti f p t d th s b tit tion,

door B is preferably provided with mitof equivalents as occasion Wardlyp i i s Portmns and y i ai asmay be deemed expedienh in position toengage the rollers of the WhatIclaim is:

guides H and H when the door is in closed 1'. A bottom door guide forposition, thereby insuring the door, when comprising supporting meansadapted to be closed, being; orced' tightly against the secured. to thecar below the plane of the frame aroun the door opening. In order dooropening a horizontal plate projecting-1.

, that the outward projection g on the flange outwardly in said means, avertically I to G adjacent the front edge of the door may disposedroller'mounted upon'said'hori zon not impede the free opening andclosing of 1 l t d d' p dl j the door through eng g ment with the rollersupporting means in position to be on the guide H such roller ispreferathliv b th outer f f the both)!!! of spaced outwardly from thecar side a s door, and guide flanges mounted upon sud.

cient dista'nce'to permit the projection 9 horizontal plate on oppositesides of and '11! to freely pass the same. The roller on the. alininwith the axis o sai d roller to proguide H is also preferably spacedaway. tect t e roller' from in ur ous contact of from the car side asufiicient distance to bethe door, said flanges converg ng inward]freely passed by the outward projection g and terminating in a verticalplane outs e as on the flange G adjacent the rear edge of of the inner,surface of said roller to per-. llt

the. door. This arrangement of the ides mit the engagement therewith ofthe outer with relation to the flange G is 0 early surface of the bottomof the door. shown in Fig. 4. 2. A bottom door guide for freight carsThe enga ement of the outer surface of comprising supporting meansadapted to he the flange V during t'heopening and closmgmovements dooropening, a vertlcally roller of the door serves to reduce resistance tospaced outwardly from said so iortmgthe movement of the door, andthereby renmeans and adapted to be engaged y the der it unnecessary toexert the same power outer surface of the bottom of the door, and inorder to open and close the door as is a horizontally disposed rolleradapted to 135 necessary when the bottom of the door enunderlie thelower edge of the door. ages fixed surfaces on the guides. The 3. bottomdoor guide for freight cars a horizontal rollers on the guides arenorcomprising support ng means adapted to be mally located slightlybelow the lower edge secured to the car below the plane of the of theflange G, but when through the sagdoor opening, a vertically disposedroller 1..

with'the rollers of the guides secured to the car below the plane of the1:.

25 said flange.

spaced outwardly from said supporting means and adapted to be engaged bythe outer surface of the bottom of the door, inwardly converging guideflanges on the opposits sides of said roller, and a horizontallydisposed roller adapted to underlie the lower edge of the door.

4. The combination with a freight car having a sliding side door, of adepending flange along the bottom of the door projecting below the dooropening and a guide fixed to the car comprising a vertical rollerengaged by the outer surface of said flange, and a horizontally disposedroller underly- 1 ing the lower edge of said flange.

5. The combination with a freight car having a sliding side door, of adepending flange along the bottom of the door and a guide fixed to thecar below the plane of the door opening comprising a vertical rollerengaged by the outer surface of said flange, inwardly converging guideflanges at side of said roller, and a horizontally disposedrollerunderlying the lower edge of 6. The combination with a freight carhaving a sliding side door, of a depending flange along the bottom ofthe door projecting below the door opening, and a guide fixed tothecar'comprising a vertical roller engaged by the outer surface of saidflange, said flange having an outward projection thereon in position toengage said roller when the door is closed and thereby force the doortightly against the frame around the door opening.

7. The combination with a freight car 'havinga sliding side door, of 2.depending position to engage the rollers on the guidesadjacent the frontand rear of the door opening when the door is closed.

8. The combination with a freight car havinga sliding side door, of adepending flange along the bottom of the door, a plurality of guidesfixed to the car side below the plane of the dooropening, one locatedadjacent the front and another adjacent the rear of the door openingeach of said guides comprising a vertical roller engaged by the outersurface of said flange, the rollers on the guides adjacent the front andrear of the dooropening being located nearer thecar side than therollers on the other guides, outward projections on said flange inposition to engage the rollers on the guides adj acent the front andrear of the door opening when the door is closed, and a horizontallydisposed roller on each of said guides underlying 'the lower edge ofsaid flange.

In testimony whereof, I have subscribed my name.

. JAMES M. HOPKINS. Witnesses: I I

Gno. L. W ILnINsoN, HENRY A. PARKS.

